Just
in case everyone wasn’t already clear on this, the Combat Search and Rescue helicopter replacement project (CSAR-X) is definitely dead and isn’t coming back. In an interview, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said that “a successor model” of the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter will be the CSAR mount for the foreseeable future. He added, it’s “a pretty good airplane; it’s not a perfect rescue airplane; but it can operate at altitude; it’s a resilient airframe; it’s proven.” Schwartz said that recapitalizing the HH-60 with “a modern generation descendant” will meet about “80 percent of the CSAR-X requirement.” Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has touted 80-percent solutions as the best way for the services to meet their needs, said the solution for joint personnel recovery is still under review, but it would appear that may be old information. USAF already is buying modified Black Hawks.
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rolled out an expansive acquisition reform agenda earlier this month, he promised aggressive implementation and reorganization aimed at transforming the way the Pentagon develops and fields weapons and platforms. The plan appears to have been well-received by past administration officials and lawmakers from both parties who…
